Who wouldn’t prefer to work from home? In today’s workforce, the rich are getting richer, those with the fewest resources are getting poorer, and the middle is being squeezed out. With gas prices gouging consumers, commuting to and from work is costing more than ever before, meaning less available money when payday rolls around. And, as companies continue to tighten their belts and downsize, employees are taking on increased responsibilities for the same amount of money. What’s the end result? Working longer hours with less to show for it.When you work from home, though, your office is down the hall. Instead of filling up your gas tank twice a week, you might fill it twice a month. You have more time with your family and extra time to spend following your passions. Best of all, you can make your own hours and the only boss you have to answer to is the one who looks back at you from your mirror.So, the desire to work from home is there, but exactly what are you going to accomplish in order to make money? Anyone who has surfed the Internet knows that there are thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of home based business opportunities being promoted. How do you find one that’s legitimate so you can make money while you work at home? Here are five commandments to follow:1. Beware of Sales. Unless you’re a natural born salesperson and have a passion for it, avoid the business opportunity that forces you to sell. However, with the right product or membership and support you can do quite well. And the neighbors, friends, and family members that you try and convince to purchase your product will be more receptive to this.2. Beware of Inventory. This is secondary to the first commandment. Many home based business opportunities require that you purchase inventory. Remember, you want to make money, not exhaust it on inventory. Moreover, you don’t need to deal with the hassles and headaches of storing products, fulfilling orders, and shipping products.3. Welcome Support. The home based business opportunity you select must offer a comprehensive support program. This should mean that the company has a step-by-step training guide, online courses, and helpful support staff who are available to answer any and all questions you may have. The company must also provide you with resources such as templates, samples, and anything else you need to get started.4. Flexibility is Key. Whatever business opportunity you choose, it needs to be one that’s flexible. If you hook up with a company that insists you set aside a certain number of hours each week, it’s no better than working an eight-hour shift and having a boss. The purpose is that you own your own business and that you have the ability to choose to work at your own pace, whether that’s part time or full time.5. Take it Forward. For your first home based business, choose a company that can teach you skills and strategies that you’ll be able to use in your upcoming endeavors. Your first home based business probably won’t be your last, so it’s important to learn all that you can in order to succeed in the future.

Starting your own internet home based business is not just about having a dream. It is the quickest path to entrepreneurial success, plus it’s a lot less expensive than you might think. Under the right conditions and if you’re a certain kind of person, a home based business can be a wonderful option worth investigating.Imagine what it would be like if you could be among the 1% of people that actually succeed with their internet business. No more endless meetings, fear of being laid off, having to deal with economic crisis, or sitting in traffic.When you have decided that running a home based business is what you want to do, there are a few ways to get started. Remember that it is different for everyone, and that starting a home based business can be a very individual thing.There are real steps to ensure your business is a successful start. So what are some of the things you should consider when launching your home based business? Let’s look at 3 of the most important steps you need to do to establish your home based internet business:1. Decide on an ideaLet your imagination wander for hours and you’ll probably still not run out of ideas for starting your home based business. Where do you start?Well, most business ideas often come from a person’s education, experience and hobbies. By considering your natural talents, skills, and the sources of enjoyment in your life, you may find the seed for a good business idea. What you want to do here is to choose something that you are passionate about.The more you love your work, the more time and effort you will be willing to put into it. This can keep you going in the beginning, when things are still pretty lean. The foundation of ANY business should be passion or interest.Why?Because you’ll lose interest in your business if you’re not passionate about what it is that you do. Starting a business on the internet is easy, but you’re going to need strong passion or intense interest in your work…* What are you interested in?
* What are you passionate about?
* What subject or topic do you have a lot of knowledge about?
* What are people always coming to you for advice about?2. Do your research and gauge profitabilityMany home based internet business entrepreneurs give a scant view when it comes to researching the market. The fact is performing research is more critical to your success than driving tons of traffic.What you want to do here is to make certain that you know your field and that your idea is sound. Where does your idea stand in the market, and who is doing what you are doing? Can you do it better, or can you do it cheaper?There are lots of niches out there that are waiting for you to fill them. Make sure that you don’t start a business where the market is over crowded with entrepreneurs, doing things better than you could and with more experience under their belts.3. Model after existing systemsMake sure that you are not reinventing the wheel. Just because you are doing something new doesn’t mean that there are not ways that the knowledge of other people can help you.Find a proven system and find out how it can be modified to suit your needs. The problem with starting completely over is that it wastes your valuable time and takes you away from the important work that you could be doing. Many people are yet to realize that the Internet is all about having multiple streams of income.If you follow these proven strategies, you will begin to build a business that can last a lifetime. Be prepared, as some hard work lies ahead but anything worth doing is worth doing well.